Redundant Optical System for Automotive Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical systems face challenges in achieving reliability and performance due to size, cost, or technological limitations, making it impractical to duplicate entire systems, necessitating an improved approach for enhanced reliability and performance without duplicating the system.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of redundant optical systems using a single photonic input, incorporating optical splitters, redundant optical transducers, and read-out integrated circuits (ROICs) to provide heterogeneous or homogeneous redundancy, ensuring automotive functional safety standards and improving system bandwidth, with features like fault detection and workload sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant optical systems are implemented using a single photonic input, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the optical signal into multiple paths using optical splitters, directing portions of the signal to separate optical transducers. This segmentation enables redundancy without requiring complete system duplication, as each transducer receives a portion of the original signal rather than requiring full system copies.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical splitters serve as intermediary devices that distribute the incoming optical signal to multiple transducers. This intermediary component enables the system to achieve redundancy by splitting the signal rather than requiring multiple independent signal sources, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If redundant optical transducers are used to sense the same input, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple optical transducers are merged into a single system architecture where they share common optical components and signal processing pathways. This merging approach enables improved measurement precision through redundancy while avoiding the complexity of completely separate measurement systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical transducers are designed with universal functionality to sense the same optical input through different paths. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve redundant measurements without requiring specialized separate systems, thereby improving precision without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Productivity
If optical splitters are used to distribute the signal, then workload sharing is enabled, but loss of energy occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The optical splitters distribute only the necessary portions of the optical signal to each transducer rather than requiring complete signal duplication. This partial action approach enables workload sharing among multiple transducers while minimizing energy loss that would occur with complete signal replication.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances system reliability and performance by providing redundant coverage, improving bandwidth, and meeting automotive safety standards through fault detection and workload sharing, enabling efficient operation even when a single channel's bandwidth is insufficient.
Implementation Method 1
at least one optical transducer, wherein each at least one optical transducer is configured to receive the optical signal from the at least one optical device and convert the optical signal to an electrical signal
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein is a method and apparatus for an optical system configured to output redundant outputs, where the optical system includes at least one optical device configured to receive an optical signal; at least one optical transducer, wherein each at least one optical transducer is configured to receive the optical signal from the at least one optical device and convert the optical signal to an electrical signal; and at least one electronic device configured to receive each electrical signal and output the redundant outputs.